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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Review + Giveaway: The Lost Prince

THE LOST PRINCE(Call of the Forgotten #1)
Julie Kagawa
Paranormal Young Adult
379 pages
Harlequin Teen
Available October 23rd
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Harlequin Teen)Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.That
is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all
costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is
attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a
girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had
protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His
previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and
disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and
talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes
for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

MY THOUGHTSThe Lost Prince is a treat for fans of the Iron Fey series, allowing us a glimpse at a world we love from a different angle and providing us with a fresh perspective on familiar characters and problems to enrich a reading experience we already treasure. Unlike the Iron Fey books, Ethan's story takes place predominantly in the mortal world, making us instantly aware that this is in no way a continuation of Meghan's story, but a new story entirely; the story of a young man fully human who fights tooth and nail to keep the fey from poisoning his life any more than they already have. Ms. Kagawa's imagination is in no way limited by the parameters of the real world versus the Nevernever, instead she delights yet again with an unnerving new (or old, depending on how you look at it) breed of fey even as favorites from past books make brief but memorable appearances.

Ethan captures our interest from page one simply by being who he is—Meghan's little brother—but as we read he proves fascinating for reasons all his own, the loneliness his Sight has forced him to embrace practically begging us to reach in and wrap our arms around him to show him he's never as alone as he thinks. Meghan's abandonment (as he sometimes sees it) as well as an incident with a friend when he was younger have left their indelible marks on his person, giving his fear of all things fey an almost anthropomorphic quality to it as it's always by his side, leading him to make the decisions he does and strengthening its hold on him every time he bends to its will. He at times can slip into a melancholy, brooding state, flooding his mind with images of all the ways he's messed up in his young life, but thankfully love interest Kenzie is there to figuratively slap him in the face, shaking him out of his stupor before we all slip too far down his shame spiral and wallow in collective misery.

Kenzie is a young woman it's nearly impossible not to like, someone who never lets the force of Ethan's bad attitude make her stumble back in fear, instead she stands even taller after the onslaught, calmly informing him that his attempts to push her away will continue to be ineffective, and recommending he just welcome her into the fey fold with open arms as an alternative. She's not without her own vulnerabilities however, a few revelations toward the end making our fingers itch to have the next book in our hands already so we can see how she's going to tackle a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

A minor complaint with this story is a somewhat anti-climactic conclusion, the threat from the new “glamour-eating” fey easily neutralized even though it's clear we've not seen the last of them. The terror we've felt on behalf of their victims fizzles away quickly and quietly in the last chapters as we finally come face to face with them, causing us to be just a touch let down after the build up. Additionally, one of the most interesting aspects, Ethan's anger with Meghan for leaving all those years ago as well as with Ash for taking her away, is mentioned briefly but is never fully explored in this first installment, leaving us wishing we were able to dig under the surface of at least one of the big elements rather than simply skimming our hands over the top. That being said however, The Lost Prince is still a highly enjoyable read, touching on some extremely intriguing emotional intricacies within the Chase family we can only hope will be given more page time moving forward.

Rating: 4/5

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the wonderful people at Harlequin Teen, I have 2 copies of The Lost Prince to give away on the blog today! To enter, please just leave a comment on this post with a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Giveaway is open to US residents only and will run through midnight on Sunday, October 21st after which time a winner will be chosen and emailed. Good luck everyone!

Meghan’s journey begins in the mortal world, when her half-brother Ethan is kidnapped. The mission to rescue the innocent child draws Meghan into the Nevernever—the magical world—where the never-before-seen Iron fey are raining destruction upon traditional faeries. Meghan’s quest is fraught with unimagined dangers, unpredictable powers…and an utterly forbidden love.

Now little Ethan is all grown up—and a new breed of fey has come for him. Bound by blood to a world he despises, Ethan plunges into the Nevernever searching for answers: who are the ghostly assassins hunting him? Who controls them? And why are exiled and half-breed faeries vanishing from the mortal world?

With a vulnerable human girl to protect and an enigmatic faery ally he could never have imagined, Ethan embarks on his own Fey saga. Along the way he will encounter kin, comrades and deadly new enemies. He will discover his formidable strengths, and his deepest weaknesses—and he will fight for his life against the Forgotten.Find more information on the Iron Fey here:WebsiteFacebook

And don't forget to look for book to in the Call of the Forgotten trilogy in November of 2013!

I'm glad to hear that most of this story takes place in the real world because the copious descriptions of fairy sort of weighed the Iron Fey series down for me. Wonderful review, Jenny and thanks for the giveaway. :)

I've heard that this one is almost better than The Iron Fey Series was which makes me excited since I wasn't a huge fan of them. While I have to admit that the anticlimactic conclusion is a little off-putting, I'm glad you enjoyed this one, dear! Wonderful review, as usual, Jenny!(:

Oh, I am so excited that you liked this boom Jenny! I gave up after the second book in the Iron Fey becuase they were taking forever to be released BUT I will try and read them (I have all of them except this one).

Dude! OMG! This series is soooo awesome! The new characters (the one that starts with a K...AHHH!) I was so excited jumping up and down in my seat. I can't wait to read more about him! Awesome review as always Jenny!

Iron Fey is one of those series that I keep telling myself I will start soon (I have the st book on my shelf) but for some reason it keeps being pushed down on my TBR. I enjoyed but didn't adore The Immortal Rules...so maybe that is my hesitation? Or just too many books!!! LOL

I love the Iron Fey series but I am glad that this is in no way a continuation of Meghan's story, I am excited to see it go in a new direction. Yes, I would agree about Ethan's feeling of anger needing to be resolved but I know I will be amazed at the world building as always with a Kagawa title. Enter me please! rnydayramblings@gmail,com

Well, you touched on what I was afraid of... that we would want much more in information. However, it sounds so good and I'm so curious as to how Ethan grows in this off-shoot series. I'm going to read this one soon and I can't wait.

I've been DYING for this one chick!!!!! I was nervous that there would be too little info regarding Meghan and the effects he was left with too... Looks like I was justified and at least not working myself into a frenzy for no reason!!!!

I can't wait to read this book! Ethan sounds like a relatable character. I would be scared of the fey to and understand the loneliness. I have a feeling that Kenzie is going to be my favorite character. I love a strong female lead and like the idea that she shakes Ethan out of his stupor!

I haven't read the Iron Fey series though I after reading several book reviews for book 1 I know it's going to be a shaky start, but I'm curious to see how the fey mythology is used. I hope to pick the first series soon so I can meet Ethan.

I can't wait to read this one! I just finished The Iron Prophecy's so I'm ready to go! Though now I'm realizing from your review that one has nothing to do with the other. But that means more Ash/Meghan/Puck books which is always welcome!

The Iron Fey series was one YA series I absolutely adored. I loved Ash. You can never be to old to read YA. I'm very happy to see another book set in the wonderful world that Julie created. Thank you so much for hosting a giveaway for an awesome read. Please count me in :)Tanyaw1224(at)yahoo(dot)com

I am going to admit that I stopped on Book 3 of the Iron Fey series (hey I was team Puck) but this one does sound fantastic. I am a big fan of JK's writing and her storytelling. Don't enter me as you know I will just go buy it cause I am that kind of person :)